Indoor playground may close this month

When mom Holly Trafelet first moved to Maricopa, she found few indoor activity options in town for her young children.

As a former Phoenix resident, Trafelet and her family had always enjoyed visiting indoor playgrounds, so in March 2012 she opened Skies of Blue indoor playground, along with her husband Dominic DiCello. 

As the only indoor playground in Maricopa, Skies of Blue has garnered a small but loyal customer base. The clean and contemporary 2,000-square-foot facility offers parents a chance to meet other parents and offers children a safe, age-appropriate environment in which to play. It also offers space for birthday parties.

Shortly after opening, Skies of Blue was busy and people stopped by to try the many free promotional activities, such as ballet class and mother and child yoga. 

But after 13 months in business, sales have dried up and Trafelet and DiCello could be forced to close their doors by the end of July.

“We just put our savings into this business and we were trying to grow organically and we did a lot of social media and foot traffic work, but it never made it to reach enough people in Maricopa to sustain itself,” Trafelet said.

Trafelet, a CPA who co-owns Trafelet Accounting in Maricopa along with her father, constructed the indoor playground in the same building as her accounting firm at 41600 W. Smith-Enke Road. During evenings and weekends, Skies of Blue sublets studio space by the hour to Zumba, karate and yoga instructors and even business groups and a church. 

The extra income allowed Skies of Blue to stay open, but the small business had to eliminate all of the children’s activities and shrink open play time down to eight hours per week. 

Open play time currently is 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. 

“I just love it there,” said customer Lindsey Brady, who goes to Skies of Blue once or twice a week with her children. “If they close, it would probably mean we don’t go anywhere, because there is literally nothing within driving distance that is comparable to what they have to offer and the price.” 

Skies of Blue charges $5 for two hours of play and doesn’t require a membership, unlike many indoor playgrounds around the Valley. 

Trafelet said she still believes in the business and the indoor playground concept. She can’t figure out why it hasn’t gained popularity in Maricopa, given the fact that there are so few local entertainment options for families.

However, the business of indoor playgrounds is tough no matter where it’s located, said James Bernau, who started PlayGrounds fun zone and café in Glendale in 2011. 

“It doesn’t surprise me that an indoor place doesn’t sustain itself, because it’s hard to make enough money,” Bernau said.